A chance for new-boys to settle, for systems to be tinkered with, for youngsters or bench warmers from previous seasons to put forward a case for a first team place.

Aitor Karanka can’t fail to have been impressed with certain members of his squad this summer.

But who has grabbed the headlines and made an impression in a Boro shirt during pre-season?

Adam Reach

Come the start of a new season, come the optimistic claims that this will be the year flying young flanker Adam Reach bursts on to the Championship scene and terrorises defenders in a Downing-esque fashion.

Rather unfortunate for the Geordie winger are the comparisons that will undoubtedly arise from being a young left winger coming through the Boro academy.

With Muzzy and Ledesma on the treatment table and Nsue possibly having to deputise at right-back for one game at least, Reach will be hoping he gets his chance as one of the three playing behind Kike.

If he’s able to continue his pre-season form, he will stake a claim for staying there.

Kike

Granted, goals against lowly Spanish and Portuguese opposition and Rochdale don’t suddenly verify his £2.8m fee as money well spent.

But had Boro’s new striker gone into this weekend’s clash with Birmingham without a pre-season goal to his name, the muttering would already have started gathering pace with cynics keen on labelling Kike a flop waiting to happen who had ‘no Championship experience’ - that oh-so vital quality every signing MUST possess.

Kike scores against Rochdale

Kike will be judged on his goalscoring record in the league, that goes without saying.

But he has already shown glimpses of why Aitor Karanka convinced Steve Gibson into forking out £2.8m for him.

Bradley Fewster

From promising front-man with a decent enough record at youth level to Boro’s second choice striker - all in one pre-season.

The 18-year-old has spent the summer shuffling up the pecking order following the departures of Marvin Emnes, Lukas Jutkiewicz and Curtis Main and with Kei Kamara seemingly having spent the majority of the last month on international duty and with his Boro days looking numbered, Fewster is currently Kike’s only understudy.